From U.S. Pat. No. 6,749,364 B1, a road finishing machine with a thermal imaging camera is known. The thermal imaging camera is directed onto a newly laid asphalt layer behind the screed. The thermal imaging camera is coupled to a control unit which computes the thermographic data of the thermal imaging camera with positional data. The georeferenced data may be stored by the control unit and optionally sent to other road finishing vehicles or compacting vehicles via a telematic unit, so that the latter may adjust their respective paving parameters based on said georeferenced measured data.
DE 20 2009 016 129 U1 discloses a device for measuring the temperature of the surface of hot asphalt. The device comprises a housing in which an infrared temperature sensing head is movably disposed. The latter is moved back and forth by means of a motor. This requires a complex bearing that must be lubricated regularly.
From DE 10 2008 058 481 A1, an asphalting system and method are known for setting up a plan for asphalting a working area based on a position temperature model. Here, a road finishing machine with a temperature sensor for detecting temperature data of a pavement layer behind the screed and with a receiver for detecting positional data is disclosed. The temperature sensor is formed e.g., by an infrared camera. Preferably, the temperature sensor is fixed to the screed of the road finishing machine and directed onto the newly laid paving layer behind the screed. Furthermore, the road finishing machine comprises an indicator on which the temperature data and the positional data may be indicated to the operator of the road finishing machine. The temperature data and the positional data may be forwarded to following compacting vehicles via a transmitter, so that said vehicles correspondingly adjust their compacting parameters. To detect the temperature data and the machine positional data, according to a specific embodiment, an unmanned drone could be employed which drives over the newly laid asphalt layer or in the proximity of said asphalt layer.
In the optical detection systems of U.S. Pat. No. 6,749,364 B1 and DE 10 2008 058 481 A1, temperature data of a region of the newly laid paving layer are each detected behind the screed and taken as a basis for determining a compaction pattern for following compacting vehicles. To this end, the measuring instruments for detecting temperature are fixed in the proximity of the screed or on the screed. There, however, the measuring instruments are subjected to an increased heat load and may also be disturbed in the recording of their measuring results by rising aerosols or vapors during data acquisition. It is moreover difficult to arrange the measuring instruments relatively to the screed such that they are not disturbed during measuring data acquisition by a leveling movement of the screed. The measuring instruments which are directed to the rear onto a region of the paving layer might also functionally interfere with other measuring systems, for example for layer thickness calculation. However, the temperature sensing system directed rearwards might cause interferences in the layer thickness measuring system, or vice-versa.